Show ContentsIckes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Ickes

What does the name Ickes mean?

Ickes is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname that came from the son of Richard. 1 In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Ickes family

The surname Ickes was first found in Yorkshire, where one of the first records of the name was found as a forename as Hikke de Sauteby who was listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 1 "The chancel [of Low Leyton in Essex] contains some elegant monuments of the family of Hickes." 2

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on the phonetic appreciation of the names. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Hikke de Sauteby; Johanna Hickson; Henricas Hikson; Willelmus Hykson. 1

Again in Yorkshire, Richard Hick was registered there in the Subsidy Rolls for 1302 and later, William Hickys was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332. 3

Much farther to the south in the parish of St. Ewe in Cornwall, another branch of the family was found. "The manor of Tregain belonged formerly to an ancient family of the same name: in which place they resided until they removed to Golden in Probus; after which it was forfeited in the reign of Elizabeth. When the manor was dismembered, the barton became the property of Hicks, who possessed also the barton of Trevithick in this parish. At this latter place a mansion was erected by this family, in which they continued to reside until the death of John Hicks, Esquire, in 1734, in whom this branch of the family ended." 4

Early History of the Ickes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ickes research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1543, 1551, 1596, 1612, 1619, 1620, 1621, 1628, 1629, 1642, 1680, 1715 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ickes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ickes Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Ickes has been recorded under many different variations, including Hicks, Hickes, Hick, Hix and others.

Early Notables of the Ickes family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • George Hickes (1642-1715), an English divine and scholar

Ickes Ranking

In the United States, the name Ickes is the 9,681st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Ickes family to Ireland

Some of the Ickes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ickes family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Ickes or a variant listed above: Robert Hicks, who arrived in Plymouth in 1621; Margaret Hicks, who arrived in Plymouth in 1623; James Hicks, who came to Virginia in 1637; Samuel Hicks, who settled in Virginia in 1637.


Contemporary Notables of the name Ickes (post 1700) +

  • Harold LeClair Ickes (1874-1952), American administrator and politician, United States Secretary of the Interior from 1933 to 1946
  • Harold L Ickes, American Secretary of the Interior from 1933 to 1946
  • Harold LeClair Ickes (1874-1952), U.S. administrator and political figure and former Secretary of the Interior (1933 to 1946)
  • Harold McEwen Ickes (b. 1939), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1996, 2000; Member of Democratic National Committee from District of Columbia, 2004-08 6
  • Harold LeClair Ickes (1874-1952), American politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1920; U.S. Secretary of the Interior, 1933-46; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1936, 1940, 1944 6
  • Anna Ickes (1873-1935), American politician, Member of Illinois State House of Representatives 6
  • Harold M Ickes (b. 1939), son of the Interior Secretary, deputy White House official in Clinton's administration


The Ickes Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Tout en bon heure
Motto Translation: All in good time.


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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